Brotherhoods

Venezuela

Chants Et Tambours

Des Confréries Noires
1995

Tracks:

01. Golpeado - Tambores De San Juan
02. Corrido/Trancado - Tambores De San Juan
03. Sangueo - Tambores De San Juan
04. Corrido - Tambores De San Juan
05. La Campana - Tambores De San Juan
06. El Campanero (Sangueo) - Tambores De San Juan
07. Golpe De Cantica - Tambores Chimbangueles De San Benito
08. Eha! Chocho - Tambores Chimbangueles De San Benito
09. Aje! - Tambores Chimbangueles De San Benito
10. Chimbangalero - Tambores Chimbangueles De San Benito
11. Misericordia - Tambores Chimbangueles De San Benito
12. Sangorodon - Tambores Chimbangueles De San Benito
13. Conjunto Redondos - Conjuntos De Bariovento
14. Tambores Redondos - Conjuntos De Bariovento
15. Conjunto Redondos - Conjuntos De Bariovento
16. Conjunto Tamboras - Conjuntos De Bariovento
17. Conjunto Fulia - Conjuntos De Bariovento
18. Conjunto Mina - Conjuntos De Bariovento
19. Tambor Quichimba - Conjuntos De Bariovento
20. Tonada De Quitiplas - Conjuntos De Bariovento
21. Conjunto De Quitiplas - Conjuntos De Bariovento 

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Recorded in Venezuela, 1993 & 1994, liner notes and photography by Michel Plisson

***

Eugene Chadbourne says:

... also available as part of this label's somewhat ad hoc triple-CD box entitled Drums of South America, this collection of music that has been handed down from the liberated slaves of Venezuela deserves to stand on its own as one of the most haunting as well as relaxing listening experiences from this part of the world. Although any comparison with the other volumes would inevitably just be the result of coincidence, since there was no real aesthetic reason to package the three collections together other than marketing convenience, it helps to describe the music in saying that these conjuntos from Barlovento or tambores from San Juan and San Benito create music with a much more interactive relationship with their environment, as in the world around them, then do the perhaps musically more adept Cubans or the drum-splintering stronghands of the Guadalupe gwo ka tradition. To not be limited by Ocora's choice of box-set playmates, it can actually be said there is not much other music that can be said to be similar to these performances, not even the pieces presented in a Nonesuch Explorer collection that was released in the '70s based on the theme of black music from Venezuela. Producer Michel Plisson seems to have documented particularly deep performances, the drums reverberating through a space that seems timeless. Unless one lives in an urban center in which bird life has been vanquished, the possibility of combining these pieces with natural sounds from the outside world may seem logical and turns out to be inevitable in the performances themselves as small flutes and whistles eventually join the action, seeming to be approximating the sounds of jungle birds. The set concludes with pieces in which the small-stringed cuatro and wonderfully scratchy maracas flesh out the sound.

*♥*

Listen! More Afro Venezuelan music : )

 

Bocón

Big Mouth

Afro-Hispanic Music from Venezuela

2004

Tracks:

01. Belén Palacios - Bocón
02. Maximilanio Huice - Yo Vine A Pasar Unos Tiempo
03. Tambores De Caraballeda - Apolinaria
04. Agustin "Chupa Caña" Rivas - Gallina No Tiene Teta
05. Agustin "Chupa Caña" Rivas - Yo Vengo Regando Flores
06. Los Veteranos - La Batalla
07. Los Veteranos - La Juruminga
08. Los Veteranos - Poco A Poco
09. Los Veteranos - Saragosa
10. Celsa Duarte - Un Saludo Vengo A Dar
11. Maria de Jesús Monterota - Mi Cochina
12. Conjunto San Juan De Curiepe - Carángano
13. Tambores de Naiguatá - Dale El Culo Al Viejo
14. Tambores de Naiguatá - San Juan 'ta Borracho
15. Los Tambores de Tarmas - San Juan De Tarmas
16. José González a.o. - Comadre Juana
17. Pedro Pablo Hernández - Adios Pueblos Cantadores

 

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 A selection of beautiful field recordings of deeply rooted music from several Afrovenezuelan communities. Afrovenezuelan music—long marginalised—has lately become part and parcel of Venezuelan popular culture. But still it remains something of a terra incognita to the outside world. You may find that this CD opens up new rhythmic horizons to you.

The drums are a key to understanding the Afrovenezuelan universe. The drum family is quite extended, with easily distinguishable regional—and even local—types. The most important groups of drums represented on this record are the mina and curbata, the tambores redondos, and the cumacos. But Afrovenezuelan music is not just about drums; it also comprises other instruments, dance, literary invention, and lyrical improvisation. It becomes a synesthetic experience, a sensually encompassing artistical musical complex.

Each self-respecting village boasts its own golpe - its own individual rhythm, a symbol of the continuity of tradition and the unity prevailing in the village. This record presents music from the Afrobarloventeño region and from the villages of Caraballeda, Naiguatá, Tarmas and El Tocuyo. The accompanying booklet contains extensive information about the history and social meanings of these musical styles.

* 

 

you can buy this CD here 

and many more CD's at a fantastic price 

and all your money goes straight to the artists and not to I-shareholders! 

♥

TheTaste of Cocoa...

Son de Chuao

Sabor a Cacao

2000

Tracks:

01. Mi Tambor (My Drum) - 2:17
02. Sabor a Cacao (The Taste of Cocoa) - 4:28
03. Bailar Con Mi Negra (Dancing with my Girl) - 4:06
04. La Cochina (The Pig) - 1:49
05. Se Formó la Rumba (The Party has Begun) - 4:45
06. La Cueva del Mato (The Cave of the Lizard) - 7:20
07. Cuando Suene un Tambor (When a Drum Sounds) - 3:13
08. Sirena - 0:23
09. Loé - 2:04
10. No le Rompas (Don't Damage the Drum) - 4:01
11. Corozo (The Fruit of the Custard-Apple Tree) - 2:38
12. Román - 5:24
13. Mi Bandera (My Flag) - 1:57
14. Venezuela es lo Mejor (Venezuela is the Best) - 1:52
15. El Mono (The Monkey) - 10:22
16. Los Cumacos de Chuao (The Cumaco Drums from Chuao) - 6:35
17. La Campana Suena (The Bell Tolls) - 0:41

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 Afro-Caribbean percussion music and dance from Venequela's Cocoa Coast

The history of the blacks in Venezuela is closely linked to cocoa. The best cocoa is said to come from the region of Chuao. Here the offspring of the former slaves still play music which relates to their original African culture. Their drum dances, in which the cumaco drums play the central role, are energetic, frantic and fiery, and embody the collective memory of the Afro-Venezuelans.

 

 Chuao is a small village located in the northern coastal range of Venezuela. It was founded in the 16th century. The village is famous for its cacao plantations, where some of the finest cocoa beans in the world are produced. The village is surrounded by mountains and dense rainforests to the south Caribbean Sea near the Henri Pittier National Park the oldest national park in Venezuela created in 1937. There is no road access and visitors must come by boat from the town of Puerto Colombia along the coast, or by foot, crossing the mountains and the luxurious cloud forest from Turmero near Maracay.

In the Chuao plantation there are currently pure Criollo and hybrid varieties of cacao being grown. Criollo beans from Chuao are of very high quality, and are considered Venezuela's finest beans together with Porcelana Blanca beans from Lake Maracaibo (another genetically pure variety of Criollo). Amedei, an Italian chocolate maker, and Chocolate NAIVE, a Lithuanian bean-to-bar chocolate maker, offer chocolate bars made with Chuao cacao. Naive was the winner of the European gold medal at the International Chocolate Awards 2014.

In November 2000, the cacao beans coming from Chuao region were awarded an appellation of origin under the title "Cacao de Chuao" (from Spanish Cacao de Chuao) effectively making this one of the most expensive and sought after types of cacao.

wiki

a lot more to read : )

chocolate

♥

In the Land of Cocoa...

  

Tierra del Cacao
Afro-Venezuelan

Music and Dance

1999

Tracks:

01. El Saqueo (The revolt) - Villagers of La Sabana & Alexis Laja - 4:11
02. Ce Un Mes Que No Te Veo (A month has passed without seeing you) - Villagers of La Sabana - 4:14
03. San Juan / Gangue / Macizón - Villagers of La Sabana - 10:05
04. Cantica - Villagers of Bobures - 4:08
05. Ajé / Benito / Ajé - Villagers of Bobures - 4:20
06. Dale (Do it) - Villagers of Chuao - 1:28
07. Petra de las Marías - Villagers of Chuao - 2:47
08. Tema de los Cimarrones (The maroons from Chuao) - Villagers of Chuao - 1:17
09. Marisela - Agrupación Los Romeros’ - 3:22
10. La Estrella del Paraíso (The star from paradise) - Agrupación Los Tambores Quimbanganos - 6:53
11. Juan Rebolledo - Inocencio Caraballo - 3:46
12. Tonadas de Quichimba - Villagers of Curiepe - 5:28
13. Carángano - Villagers of Curiepe - 0:48
14. Tonadas de Quitiplás - Villagers of Curiepe - 5:53
15. Marimba - Villagers of Curiepe - 1:40
16. Ta Bueno Mayoral It's alright overseer) - Villagers of Curiepe - 4:21
17. Tonadas de Culo 'e Puya - Villagers of Curiepe - 4:10
18. Barlovento e' Tierra del Cacao (Barlovento is the land of cacao) - Villagers of Curiepe - 4:36

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The African heritage is very diluted in Venezuela, but the 'black' drum dances are a big hit nowadays. This CD presents the little known music of six small and isolated black villages. Characteristic is the inventive use of polyrhythms and a general emphasis on rhythm as the most aesthetic organizing principle. Other characteristics are the use of call-and-response patterns and repetition of phrases. Instruments used are mainly all sorts of drums and percussion instruments, and some wind and string instruments. The 24-page booklet contains extensive notes on instruments and musical styles.

    "...If you want to party across the border, go to Venezuela [...]. Heavy, rattling drums and possessed wind players, vocalists who are echoing the melody in a frenzied variation. This is music that makes you go beside yourself, without using any means whatsoever..."

    René van Peer, Wereldmuziek Update, summer 1999

  "A CD, which is indispensible to approach and to comprehend a music that respires Africa and transpires Latin America. Essential."

    Etienne Bours, Trad' Magazine, July/August 1999

   

“Venezuela is in a league of its own,” said Gary Guittard, a California chocolate maker who buys Venezuelan cacao. “It takes years to develop the uniqueness of the best cacao, maybe 20 or 30 years, maybe 100, so other nations need to catch up.” 

  

read it all

here

 ♥

 

Entre Amigos...

  

The Venezuelan Waltz
Between Friends - Entre Amigos
El Vals Venezolano

2003

Tracks:

  
01. Sol Llanero - Aquel - 3:57
02. Sol Llanero - A Bo So - 3:04
03. Pasacalle - Viajera Del Río - 3:29
04. Pasacalle - La Mañana - 4:06
05. Rúben Dario Sulbarán - Asi Eres Tu - 3:58
06. Rúben Dario Sulbarán - Nuestra Distancia - 2:58
07. Cuerdas Criollas - Teotyste - 2:41
08. Cuerdas Criollas - Noris - 2:47
09. Orquesta Tipica Municipal De Barquisimeto - ¡ah Mundo Barquisimeto! - 3:25
10. Orquesta Tipica Municipal De Barquisimeto - Pasillaneando - 2:31
11. Caida Libre - Natalia - 3:53
12. Juan Carlos Nuñez - No Me Olvides - 3:17
13. Caracas Sincrónica - Venezuela Y Colombia - 4:18
14. Cuerdas Criollas - Cachicameando - 1:35
15. Cuerdas Criollas - Ecos - 1:44
16. Orquesta Tipica Municipal De Barquisimeto - Arreboles - 2:31
17. Orquesta Tipica Municipal De Barquisimeto - Barquisimeto - 2:28
18. Pablo Fréitez - San Trifón - 5:19
19. Pablo Fréitez - No Hay Un Solo Tiempo - 2:59
20. Pasacalle - Hola Bonita - 3:53
21. Cántaro - Venezuela Emprende El Vuelo - 2:37
22. Sol Llanero - Entre Amigos - 3:09

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 Entre Amigos

 On this record, ten different musical ensembles - ranging from symphony orchestra, to harp music, piano and string ensemble - offer sublime interpretations of Venezuelan waltzes. Without the friendship of these many musicians and composers, and of collaborators of Fundación Interchange and PAN-Records, this record couldn't have been produced. This may help to explain the choice of title for this unique CD.

The waltz was part of the romantic revolution in the realm of the ancient regime, first of the sentiments, later of politics, and with the 19th century it became the dance of modernity. The waltz signified a liberation from the feudal shackles of the old order, a victory of bourgeois culture; its rhythm a source of energy and spiritual regeneration. Because of its humble origins, its sensual movements, and the hypnotic trance it seemed to trigger, in conservative corners the waltz was long considered an enemy of true morals and virtue. But the waltz inevitably gained sophistication as an acceptable form of social intercourse.

During the 19th century, the waltz not only swept the Old World but also travelled along paths established by colonial relations around the world. Derived from European models, the waltz or valse swiftly crossed oceans and mountains, implanting itself in the most variegated musical landscapes and cultural niches. Simón Bolivar himself may have been one of the first to introduce this dance to Latin America.

The Venezuelan vals may well be the most sophisticated genre in Venezuelan musical culture. The vals became 'creolized' in both melody and meter, adopting elements from native - criollo, Afrovenezuelan, or even indigenous - musical traditions, and sometimes it is nearly impossible to distinguish the vals from other popular dance forms.

The dynamics of the history of the waltz in Venezuela was and still is motivated by the choices of musicians and by the ongoing dialectics between localism and cosmopolitanism.

***

 Dutch ethnomusicologist Bartolomeus Duysens, of Fundación Interchange, has done a tremendous job of tracking down contemporary groups playing the form in a wide range of styles, from harp-driven joropos and violin-drenched symphonies to minimalist guitar and piano pieces. The result is a collection of romantic songs that swing on tropical hips and are steeped in the sweet melancholy of the bolero.

    The disc also highlights the incredible talent of Venezuelan musicians who are rarely heard outside the country. With detailed liner notes that trace the history of the music and introduce each of the performers, this is a treat for anyone who loves the sound of strings."

    Russell Maddicks, Songlines, May/June 2003

source

***

The Venezuelan waltz is a hall dance and accompanying musical genre that was popularized in 19th-century Venezuela.

The two main types of waltz were the hall waltz and the popular waltz. The former was typically performed on piano. Key musicians in this genre were Federico Vollmer, Manuel Azpúrua, Manuel Guadalajara, Rafael Isaza, Heraclio Fernández, Rogelio Caraballo, Ramon Delgado Palacios, and Antonio Lauro.

The popular waltz was performed on traditional regional instruments, often the violin and the bandola accompanied by guitar, triple and cuatro. Most popular waltzes had anonymous composers.

wiki

♥

Nadah Benagolze

  

Wood That Sings

Indian Fiddle Music of the Americas

1997

Tracks:

01. Violín - José Enrique Benítez - 2:54
02. La Guaneña - Danubio Azul Group, The - 2:34
03. Danza a Santiago - Townspeople of Llacuari Pueblo - 3:02
04. Kariso - Antonio Lorenzano - 1:20
05. Araku - Gervasio Martínez - 2:10
06. Nantu ("Luna") - Pedro Nayap - 3:39
07. Yan Tox - Mateo Mo Xal and Crisanto Coc - 2:08
08. Jacaltenango - Grupo Jolom Conob - 3:52
09. Aires Fandango - Marcelino Poot Ek, Pedro Ek Cituk, and Esteban Caamal Dzul - 4:39
10. Tzacamson - Townspeople of Tancanhuitz - 1:55
11. Son Para Entregar a la Novia - José Augustín and José Martín Cruz - 4:00
12. Wiricuta - Mariano, Pablo, Rosenda, and Augustín - 2:05
13. Melody Played on the Enneg - Francisco Barnet Astorga - 0:48
14. I'll Go with You - Chesley Goseyun Wilson - 3:25
15. Pahko'ola Dance Song - Felipe Molina and the Yaqui Deer Singers - 3:37
16. Never Alone - The San Xavier Fiddle Band - 2:15
17. Strathspey and Reel Medley - Lee Cremo Trio - 4:49
18. Jig Medley - Lee Cremo Trio - 5:13
19. Finale Medley - Lawrence Houle - 7:26
20. Eagle Island Blues: Athapaskan Love Song - Bill Stevens, Frances Williams, and Lisa Jaeger - 4:28
21. Turkey in the Straw - Georgia Wettlin-Larsen - 1:17
22. Road to Baroche - Jimmie LaRocque, Gerry McIvor, and Kim Chartrand - 2:28
23. Big John McNeill - Jimmie LaRocque, Gerry McIvor, and Kim Chartrand - 2:07

Countrys:

Argentina; Bolivia; Canada; Colombia; Ecuador; Guatemala; Mexico; Peru; United States; Venezuela
 

Culture Groups:

Apache; Assiniboine; Chapaco; Gwich'in; Huichol; Kanjobal Maya; Kekchi; Maya; Mbya; Micmac; Nahua; Ojibwa; Quechua; Seri; Shuar; Tenek; Tohono O'Odham; Warao; Yaqui

Instruments:

Baritono; Bombo (Drum); Enneg; Fiddle; Flute; Guitar; Harp; Jigger; Kitar; Monochord; Piano; Rebec; Seke-Seke; Tambura; Tiple (Plucked instrument); Torola; Trumpet; Violin

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This anthology of Indian fiddle music of the Americas features performances by Indian musicians from Nova Scotia and Manitoba to North Dakota and Arizona, to Mexico, Peru, and elsewhere in Latin America. Using this most popular of instruments as a way to explore the great variety and creativity of Indian musical traditions—from chicken scratch to the indigenous Apache fiddle—this recording expresses the capacity of Native cultures to adapt and synthesize non-Native influences.  

Chasi, Bonito's Son, an Apache musician playing the "Apache fiddle"

 Jonathan Colcord writes:

 Here is an interesting anthology of songs performed by native Americans. My first reaction to these recordings was that they were old. While much of the material may be, the recordings are all of relativley recent vintage. The most wonderful aspect of this release is the way the works are placed in relation to one another, almost like a musical map. It begins in Bolivia with a piece simply titled 'Violin' from Jose Enrique Benitez. We are moved from there to Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Agentina, Ecuador, Guatamala, and into Mexico. At this point you realize what is happening stylistically as we progress northward. Familiar western styles begin to emerge, epecially when Mexico emerges.

From there we move into Arizona, and from there, clear up to Cape Bretton. Mi'Kmaq group the Lee Cremo Trio play relatively straight forward Cape Bretton style fiddle music much to my surprise. It becomes more of a tribute to native musicians themselves than another collection of traditional songs, otherwise obscure. When we arrive in Manitoba, the styles bend more toward country fiddling even including a bit of the 'Orange Blossom Special'. In the US, stops are made in Alaska, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. One of the highlights for me was Jimmie Laroque, a Chippewa from Norht Dakota and 'Road To Batoche', a song which reminded me of 'Jerusalem's Ridge', one of my all-time favorite fiddle-tunes. Another high-point is Georgia Wettlin-Larsen, Assiniboine Nakota from Wisconsin performing 'Turkey In The Straw' including vocals in both English and her native language.

 Jim Nelson says:

Listening to this CD is like taking a musical journey among the Indian peoples that reside throughout the Western Hemisphere, from the Chapaco in Argentina to Gwich'in Athapaskans in Alaska, with stops all along the way. Some folks may be a bit surprised by the fact that fiddling itself is so commonplace among such diverse Indian cultures, and at the same time, by how remarkably similar some of this music sounds to fiddling traditions in the U.S. and Canada which derive directly from Scottish, Irish, and French sources with which they may be familiar. In fact, some of the fiddlers included here play in a style that is virtually identical to their Anglo counterparts. Leo Creomo and his trio, for example, play straight-ahead dance tunes not unlike those heard played throughout their native Cape Breton Island. Metis fiddlers Lawrence "Teddy Boy" Houle and Jimmie LaRocque both exhibit traces of Scottish as well as other European-rooted traditions, including Irish and French-Canadian. Both, for instance, play the well-known tune "Big John McNeill." Houle plays a medley of tunes that suddenly careens into bluegrass territory with versions of "Orange Blossom Special," "Old Joe Clark," and "Boil Them Cabbage Down."

While some of the tunes and styles played by the fiddlers from the U.S. and Canada often seem to have some familiar quality about them, the music on this disc played by the South and Central American musicians definitely sounds like it comes from a different time and place. Alternately mesmerizing or high-spirited, down-to-earth or downright spooky, the music captured on this CD is some of the most captivating and beautiful that I have experienced in some time. It is next to impossible to pick out favorites among the pieces as I hear something completely new each time I give this disc a listen.

This CD is a joint project of the National Museum of the American Indian and the Smithsonian Institution. The music was for the most part, recorded "in the field" by ethnomusicologists and folklorists from all parts of the Americas. As one might expect, the accompanying notes are extensive and informative, scholarly yet comprehensible, and help to provide the listener with clear contextual background about the music, the various types of violins and other instruments played, and the people who play them. The notes, which include bibliographical references, a discography and videography help to promote the sense that this CD is an important document. Any way one approaches it, Wood That Sings contains some lovely and captivating listening.  

 

Highly recommended.

some more to read : ) 

 

 *♥*

 

Flor Del Campo...

 

Alirio Díaz
Valses Del Pueblo Venezolano
1980

Tracks:

Side A

01- El Bejuquero (Anónimo)
02- El Ausente (Anónimo)
03- Flor Del Campo (Anónimo)
04- Siempre Invicto (Sebastian Díaz Peña)
05- Quejas (Paz Abreu)
06- El Diablo Suelto (Heraclio Hernández)
07- Las Bellas Noches De Maiquetia (Pedro A. Aponte)
08- Venezuela y Colombia (Pedro Oropeza)

Side B

01- El Gallo (Pedro Manuel Torres)
02- Aires de Mochima (Romón Calzadilla)
03- Pasillaneando (José La Riva)
04- Visión Porteña (Pedro Pablo Caldera)
05- Juliana (Lionel Belasco)
06- Conticinio (Laudeliano Mejias)
07- Sombra En Los Medanos (Rafael Sánchez López)

Guitar: Alirio Díaz
  
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.ღ•:*´♥`*:•ღ.

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫


Alirio Díaz (Guitar)

Born: November 12, 1923 - Caserio La Candelaria, Venezuela

The Venezuelan guitarist, Alirio Díaz, the eighth of eleven children, was born in Caserio La Candelaria, a small village near Carora in western Venezuela. From childhood he showed a great interest in music. He was taught to play the guitar by one of his uncles and from the age of ten he was capable of playing popular tunes with other amateur musicians. At the age of 15 he followed the famous cecilio Zubilaga to Trujillo, in the Venezuelan Andes, where he studied solfeggio and harmony. At age 16 he ran away from home to Carora, where he sought better schooling. He later went to Trujillo, and studied saxophone and clarinet under Laudelino Mejías while working as a typesetter in a newspaper. He also studied English and typewriting before going to Caracas in 1945 to study the guitar at the Escuela Superior de Musica José Ángel Lamas under Raul Borges.

In 1950 the Venezuelan Government awarded Alirio Díaz a scholarship to continue his guitar studies at the Conservatorio in Madrid, under Regino Sainz de la Maza. That same year he performed his first guitar concert in Europe. In 1951 he went to Siena (Italy), seeking to study with Andrés Segovia at the Accademy Chigiana. There he impressed Segovia greatly with his flawless technique and extensive repertoire. Three years later, he progressed to become the assistant and substitute to Segovia (until 1964), and started performing in some of the most prestigious concert halls of Europe.

From 1964, his brillant concertistic carrier begins in those years. With the Andrés Segovia's teachings, with the contacts with other important author, as Heitor Villa-Lobos, Lauro and others, with his virtuousity combined to a strong artistic sensibility, Alirio Diaz becomes one of the most famous guitar perfomers in the 20th century. He has concerts in many european nations, in Japan, in the USA, in Australia and he becomes citizen of the world.

In 1961, Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo's piece Invocación y Danza, dedicated to Alirio Díaz, won the First Prize at the Coupe International de Guitare, awarded by the Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (ORTF). In turn, Díaz obliged and the next year performed this very difficult solo piece. Due to its many complexities, this particular work is very seldom performed. This was the first of many compositions subsequently dedicated to Alirio Díaz.

Tireless divulger oflatin-american musical patrimony (Barrios, Lauro, Mangorè, Sojo, Cordero, Carreño and others), Alirio Díaz checks and several musics by Baroque authors as Scarlatti, Corbetta and V. Galilei, harmonizes popular South-American and napoletan songs giving them a new instrumental and interpretative dress and he records about thirty disks.

Alirio Díaz currently teaches in Rome and performs in concert with his son Senio. During the European winter, he usually returns to Venezuela to his native town, La Candelaria. Guest of honour in the greatest guitaristic shows, he partecipates in the Concorso Internazionale di Chitarra Classica di Alessandria since its first edition in 1968, conferring to it prestige and a big emphasis in the giutaristic world's panorama. For his artistic merits and for his human qualities he receives the freedom of Alessandria, great international recognitions and public assignments as cultural counseller at Foreign Office of Venezuela. For several years, a guitar contest named Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Alirio Díaz has been held in his honour in Caracas and other cities in Venezuela (the April 2006 contest was held in Carora), where he often makes appearances.

wiki

  
Venezuelan Waltz

Among the hall dances that arrived to Venezuela during the 19th century, waltz has been one of the most populars. Waltz consists of a musical expression derived from an Austrian popular dance, the ländler. Although an exact date cannot be defined about the arrival of the waltz to Venezuela, can be assured that for half-full of the 20th century it became present in the Venezuelan musical writing, registering scores in the New method for guitar and harp,
According to Luis Felipe Ramón y Rivera two currents in waltz exist, the hall and the popular waltz. At the hall waltz the favorite instrument for its execution is the piano. They emphasize names of Manuel Azpúrua, Manuel Guadalajara, Rafael Isaza, Rogelio Caraballo and Ramon Delgado Palacios at the beginning of this genre in Venezuela, that were dedicated to the composition of two parts waltzes. From this, composer Antonio Lauro, took an important waltz Literature for the saxophone.
The waltz of oral tradition (popular waltz) uses for its execution the own traditional instruments of each region, being cultivated fundamentally at the Andes and the center west of Venezuela. At the andean region, the violin and the bandola are the solo instruments, accompanied by guitar, triple and cuatro. Also in Lara is executed with: violin, mandolin, cuatro and guitar.
The musical structure characteristic of popular waltzes is of three parts. Even though some popular musicians have composed songs with their name, the majority has left their compositions in the anonymity. In the popular tradition we can find the waltz in many dances and folklorical manifestations, like in the joropo and Tamunangue.

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Rumba a la Patato

  

Marlon Simon and the Nagual Spirits
Rumba a la Patato
2000
 
Tracks:
 
1. Rumba A La Patato
2. Songo Pa Monk
3. Humble And Innocent
4. Ericka
5. Something For Carol
6. Easy Mood
7. Sandra Malandra
8. Belleza India
9. Clear To Take Off
 
Personnel:
 
Marlon Simon- drum set, batas, timbales, percussion;
Edward Simon, Luis Perdomo- piano;
John Benitez, Andy Gonzalez- bass;
Bobby Watson- alto saxophone, soprano saxophone;
Peter Brainin- tenor saxophone;
Brian Lynch, Michael Simon- trumpet;
Roberto Quintero- congas, bongo, guiro.

   

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"Pure pleasure best describes Venezuelan percussionist Marlon Simon' and the nagual spirits Rumba a la Patato cd. Nagual is the part of us for which there is not a description, no words, no names. This music reaches out to the" nagual" within each listener and touches the soul. The numbers are alive with emotions from the Joyful Songo Pa Monk to the sweet Ericka to the haunting Belleza India. The percussion on this recording moves as Simon himself and Roberto Quintero propel the songs forward. The pair are extraordinarie, and the numbers positively swing." Linette Tobin. Clave Magazine.

    

Venezuela-born percussionist/composer Marlon Simon is a veteran sideman with Jerry Gonzalez, Chucho Valdés, and Hilton Ruiz. Rumba a la Patato features bassists John Benitez and Fort Apache's Andy Gonzalez and pianists Ed Simon (Marlon's younger brother) and Luis Perdomo, highlighting the leader's skills as a composer of stateside jazz laced with Afro-Cuban rhythms. Simon's compositional style centers on singable melodies that overlay complex rhythmic signatures, which make for nice solo showcases. Alto saxophonist (and ex-member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers) Bobby Watson delivers his Birdlike soprano and alto sax lines on the moving midtempo piece, "Ericka," and the Thelonious Monk tribute, "Songo pa Monk." The title track, a riveting rumba with a 6/8 introduction, is written for the pioneering conguero Carlos "Patato" Valdes and is brightened by trumpeter (and Eddie Palmieri bandmate) Brian Lynch's clave-blooded solo. On "Sandra Malandra," Simon melds mainstream jazz with Cuban rhythm, and on "Something for Carol," the Trinidadian calypso and Dominican merengue are brought together under Simon's sexy groove flag. As this recording shows, Marlon Simon knows how put together Latin jazz for the head, hips, and heart. --Eugene Holley Jr.

   

RUMBA A LA PATATO is an exceptional first effort by Marlon Simon and the Nagual Spirits. Marlon Simon is following in the footsteps of great (Latin) Jazz bands like Jerry Gonzalez's Fort Apache Band and Ray Barretto's New World Spirit. The project is dedicated to the legendary Patato Valdes.
 
"Marlon Simon feels that the flow of creativity stems from the suffering pain, and violence we are inundated with on a daily basis. It is up to the artists to consolidate all of these negative happenings and convert them into positive ones." So states Peter La Barabara in the liner notes. Marlon Simon's music definitely has a spiritual feeling that is undeniable.
 
Marlon and crew serve up a variety of rhythms: Rumba, Songo, Mozambique, Calypso and even a little Merengue!
 
My favorite tracks thus far are RUMBA A LA PATATO, SONGO PA MONK and HUMBLE AND INNOCENT. The compositions are complex, rhythmic and full of masterful improvisations by the band members. Marlon Simon maintains a low profile on percussion but makes his presence felt throughout.
 

By     Thomas Pena

  

  

home & source of photo 

♥

¡Baila!

 

Sonero Clasico Del Caribe

Somos El Son (Buey Viejo)

1991

Tracks:

1. Buey Viejo
2. Porque Me Guardas Rencor
3. Mi Son Caliente
4. La Bayamesa
5. Sobre Una Tumba Una Rumba
6. Elena No Me Paró
7. Yo Sí Como Candela
8. No Hagas Caso
9. Lo Primero Es Lo Primero
10. Ojos Malvados
11. Sabor Peruano
12. Dame Un Traguito
13. La Mulata Rumbera
14. No Importa La Distancia

  

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 Cuban Son from Venezuela

 

El Sonero Clásico del Caribe fue fundado el 3 de diciembre de 1976 por Carlos Emilio Landaeta, el popular "Pan con Queso" y, entre sus integrantes, se encontraban Santiago "Alacrán" Tovar, Rogelia "Canelita" Medina y el no menos famoso sonero José Rosario Soto. Bajo una fuerte influencia de la música cubana, esta agrupación debutó al año siguiente en el Aula Magna de la Universidad Central de Venezuela, causando gran furor entre los asistentes, pues no se trataba de jóvenes músicos, sino de experimentados ejecutantes que decidieron reunirse y llevar su música por Venezuela y América Latina. Entre sus éxitos figuran Qué extraño es eso, Sobre una tumba una rumba y Papá Montero, escucha...

  

   

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Música Llanera 5

  

Juan Vicente Torrealba
Concierto En La Llanura

Tracks:

Disc 1:

1. Concierto En La Llanura 3:22
2. Campesina 2:26
3. Muchacha De Ojazos Negros 3:04
4. Barquisimeto 2:50
5. Secretos De Amor 3:43
6. Llano Apureño 2:22
7. Chaparralito Llanero 2:44
8. Rosario 2:33
9. Camino De La Esperanza 2:26
10. El Carnaval 2:59
11. El Cigarrón 2:23
12. El Gabán 2:55
13. Adiós A Madrid 2:29
14. Solo Con Las Estrellas 2:48
15. Romance En El Caney 2:22

Disc 2:

1. La Potranca Zaina 2:35
2. Noches De Porlamar 2:18
3. Madrugada Llanera 2:33
4. El Caminante 2:35
5. Rosa Angelina 2:39
6. Aquella Noche 2:30
7. Sabaneando 2:28
8. Soy Feliz 2:29
9. Venezuela Habla Cantando 2:11
10. Seis Numerado 2:22
11. Sinfonía Del Palmar 3:13
12. Caraqueña 3:15
13. La Paraulata 2:25
14. Alma Llanera 2:37
15. La Guayaba 2:44 

 

Harp: Juan Vicente Torrealba
Group: Los Torrealberos

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Juan Vicente Torrealba is a timeless icon in the world of Venezuelan-Columbian/South American folk music in the true "joropo" style. This two-disc digital version of the best original vinyl record albums brings true delight to those who love this wonderful music.

Juan Vicente Torrealba Pérez (born February 20, 1917) in Caracas, Venezuela, is a Venezuelan harpist and composer of popular music.

Although born on the outskirts of Caracas, the family moved while he was very young to a ranch in Camaguán, Guárico. The poverty of the family and the region were such that he worked as a sharecropper, and did not complete his primary education. Restless, he took up the guitar, and by the age of 18 was giving public recitals, his style showing a strong Cuban influence. Feeling that he would never reach the standard to which he aspired, particularly after hearing Rodrigo Riera, he moved to Caracas and took employment as a bookkeeper in a newspaper.

It was in Caracas that he took up the arpa llanera, (i.e. the plains, or Venezuelan, harp), under the tutelage of Ignacio Figueredo. In 1947 he formed his own group, The Torrealberos, along with his brother Arturo, his nephew Santana Torrealba Leon, and vocalist Ángel Custodio Loyola. With this band, he was able to earn a living playing at social functions. He began writing music the following year, among his earliest compositions being Las Caricias de Cristina (Cristina's Caresses) and Concierto en la Llanura (Concert in the Plain) (1948). With the help of pianist María Luisa Escobar the band started recording, but sometime later (apparently over a dispute as to whether tips were for the singer or the band leader) Loyola left the group, and since then a number of vocalists have been contracted by the Torrealberos. The reputation of the group, and its traditional repertoire, spread beyond Venezuela, and by the 1960s they were touring in Europe and the U.S., as well as throughout Latin America.

His first collaboration with a full orchestra came with the 1971 album Rapsodia Llanera, and he continued to adapt his music, with the addition of keyboards and electronic amplification, and collaboration with musicians from Italy and Japan, as well as other Latin American countries, his music diversified. He disbanded Los Torrealberos temporarily in 1978 to form a dance orchestra, Juan Vicente Torrealba and his Super Beat 80, but this project only released one eponymous album. Thereafter, his band work took second place behind his solo career and playing alongside symphony orchestras, until he retired, complaining that his record company was not doing enough to promote his work, in 1986.

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recordings

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Música Llanera 4

  

Reynaldo Armas
Yo También Quiero Cantar
1977

Tracks:

01. Canta coplero
02. Al pueblo apureño
03. Amigos
04. Regreso
05. Fiesta en Arauca
06. El amor es un deporte
07. Una parte de mi patria
08. Llano y leyenda dos
09. Luto en la llanura
10. El negro recuerdo
11. Dos vaquianos del camino
12. Campesino buenos días

  

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El Cardenal Sabanero

Reynaldo Armas, born in Los Guatacaros, Santa María de Ipire, Guárico State, Venezuela, August 4, 1953, is a Venezuelan llanero singer and composer.

Early life and career

His parents were Nicasio Armas Figueroa and Modesta Enguaima Hernandez. He has four brothers and sisters; Domingo, Algeria, Felipa and Margoth. When he was nine his family traveled from Los Guatacaros to Caño Morocho near Zaraza, and it was there at the age of 11, that he began to take part with local musicians in parrandas and dances. At the age of twelve composes his first song: Mi Primer Amor (My first Love). At the age of 15 makes debut in a dominical program of Radio Zaraza lead by Pompeyo Higuera, soon he enters in the gaita group Los Bravos de la Loma for which he composed several carols and aguinaldos, under the direction of the teacher Jose Antonio Blanca of the Copleros de Unare.

At the age of 16, participates in a contrapunteo festival that was made in El Faro club, and makes trophy and money from the attending public. With 17 years travels to Caracas, and started to sing in night clubs, but for folkloric music, there were only a few clubs available.

His first idol was José Romero Bello, a very respected singer and composer and one of the first interpreters of "Florentino y el Diablo", next to El Carrao de Palmarito. Reynaldo Armas was baptized with the pseudonym El Cardenal Sabanero when he traveled with Romero Bello to San Fernando de Apure and participated in the festival "Cantaclaro de Oro" singing a version of the Florentino de Oro. This was in 1973, and he obtained second place out of 18 participants. In 1975 he returned to the festival and took first place, the same in Valencia, Venezuela with the "Cucarachero de Oro", in San Carlos of Austria wins as composer, the Miranda de Oro in Los Teques and many but like contrapunteador and solo singer. Between 1975 and 1976 he records two singles, first with the name: Mi primer Amor y Cariño fingido and the second: Recorriendo a Venezuela and El Revolucionario.

In 1977 Reynaldo Armas records his first LP with the support of Rafael Martínez Arteaga El Cazador Novato, that in that time was with greatly popular in Venezuela and Colombia with several folkloric poems. Yo También quiero cantar was the name of that album, it was not a success in the radios, because in that time the folk music only sounded in certain programs at night and in the TV wasn't widely available.

In 1978, with the LP La inspiración del poeta, Reynaldo begins his popularity around the country, a folk music with romanticism, penetrating the most important cities conquering the market and public of different ages and gender, becoming a Messiah for the llanero music.

From then on it has been a parade of successes without parallel; the prizes and recognitions come and go and as do the decorations. Prizes like the Guaicaipuro de Oro, Meridiano, Ronda, Mara, Cacique, Tiuna, Venus, among others.

He has written more than three hundred songs and has recorded twenty-six albums, all with his own compositions, except three songs from the first album, that belong to El Cazador Novato. He constantly travels to Colombia where has a parallel market, also to the United States and Europe. Reynaldo Armas is certainly one of the most important Venezuelan folk singers of all time. At the Venezuelan regional elections of 2008, was an independent candidate for governor of his home state, Guárico.

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Música Llanera 3

  

Anselmo López
Esta es Mi Bandola
 
Tracks:
 
01- El Gavilán Tocuyano
02- Laguna Vieja
03- El Pajarillo
04- El Rebusco
05- La Chipola
06- Del Llano Quiero Ser Dueño
07- El Cari Cari
08- Mi Guacharaca
09- Amor Que Se Fué
10- Zapateao
11- Joropos En Bandola
12- Carmen Tea
13- La Periquera
14- Manglares Del Matiyure
15- Carnaval Espellejao
16- Guayabo Negro
17- San Rafael
18- El Gaban
19- Seis Pajueliao
20- Mosaico Llanero
      a- Copas De Vino
      b- Kirpa
      c- El Gavilan

Bandola: Anselmo López

  

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Anselmo López
Born: April 21, 1934 in Chaparrito, Barinas, Venezuela
Instruments: Bandola, Cuatro, Guitar
  
Anselmo López (born April 21, 1934 in Chaparrito, Barinas, Venezuela) is one of the most important bandola llanera executants in Venezuela. Is also the creator of the Jalao (Spanish for pull) technique, which applies the technique of classic guitar to the bandola. In jalao, the thumb and index fingers hold the plectrum to pick the melody, while the middle finger is used to pluck harmonic notes in the chord of the melody on the first or second strings. With this technique, Anselmo López made this instrument popular, taking it to national and international scenes. Anselmo López is a teacher and supporter of the bandola, forming new players, as well as being one of the most representative folk musicians of Venezuela. He has recorded several albums executing the bandola.

  

“ I say to myself, in the bandola, what thumb makes on the guitar, I will do it with the plectrum, and I will pick the high notes with the a finger. That was it, I started to put the the new technique into practice: a down stroke with the plectrum and jalao with the finger nail on the up stroke, so that it makes a sound.”

    

wiki

  

The origins of the "bandolas", according to some studies, seem to date back to the Persian Empire, travelling from there to the middle east, and penetrating Andalucía with the "moro" (Moorish) invasions. It was widely known as the "laud" for three centuries, and arrived in the Americas with the first conquerors. It is here that the process of transformation began, until the instrument was adapted to the actual spiritual characteristics of four regional cultures in our "Tierra de Gracia", the "Ilanero" (plains), the "oriental" (eastern), the "central" and the "guayanese", (each of these terms refers to a different geographical location in the Venezuelan territories)
- Roberto Todd

  

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bandolas

  

Anselmo López  

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Música Llanera 2

  

Conjunto Hermanos Chirinos
Festival De Joropos

 

Tracks:

 
01. Pajarillo
02. Quirpa
03. Los Merecures
04. Corrio llanero
05. La Guacharaca
06. Seis Numerao
07. Zumba que zumba
08. Carnaval
09. Nuevo Callao
10. La Catira
11. Periquera
12. Cunavichero

    

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source

 

WHAT IS JOROPO?
  
    The word Joropo encompasses a tradition which includes village fiestas, poetry, singing, music and dance in a form of popular expression which is constantly evolving. Improvised creativity flourish on existing structures and defined patterns of style. 

    Its origins date from ancient Iberian music from the XVII and XVIII Centuries, such as the multiple fandango, the folias, peteneras, jotas and Andalusian malagueñas. These roots have been flavored with the influence of eight centuries of Arabic occupation and then transformed in America by the mixing of African and indigenous elements under the burning sun of the Orinoco Basin and the infinite largeness of its horizons and savannas.
    The roots of joropo include music from sailors and troubadors who came in the galleons from Spain, taking root in South American soil and developing into a powerful and vigorous tradition. Over time joropo even became a symbol of national identity in Venezuela where it is considered the national dance, but only attained that status in eastern Colombia.

    There are three regional styles of joropo defined by instrumental and stylistic differences: eastern joropo and central joropo in Venezuela and the llanero joropo, from the plains along the Orinoco River, which is the one found in both countries and the very popular, due to its many recordings, extensive radio airplay and an abundance of festivals and competitions.

    Joropo music has become a genre for great solo virtuoso performances on the leading melodic instruments: harp or bandola (four-string lute) while the accompaniment is with the cuatro (four-string strummed small guitar) and the maracas. The double or electric bass has been incorporated into this group since the 40's. The llanero musician strums and plucks his instrument in a fierce and percussive manner and prefers lyrics which are strongly rooted in the poetic elements of his province, often in a proud nationalist gesture. The instruments offer a surprising palette of harmonic and percussive textures wrapped around the voices and the harp or bandola.

    Couplet singers improvise rhymed verses which refer to historical or daily events and even to people present at the party; the instrumentalists search for new percussive sounds and textures through constant variations, improvisation being at the heart of joropo music. The typical "canto recio” singing has a strong declamatory style and an epic character, featured by a long note called "tañío" at the beginning of most songs.

    The main forms are golpes (fast dances,) pasajes and tonadas (slow songs). Its names often refer to birds such as Gabán, Gavilán, Guacharaca, Periquera, Pajarillo, etc.
    The musical forms can be vocal or purely instrumental, but the real Joropo classic is the vocal ‘joust’, an improvised rhymed duel between two singers called “contrapunteo”.
    Born at full gallop with an incredible speed and powerful rhythmic vitality practically shouted out at the imense savannas,llanero joropo’s brisk and fiery character is therefore called the "untamed" joropo.

  

 source

  

   
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Música Llanera

   

Claudia Calderón
El Piano Llanero
Fundación Bigott - 2001
 

Tracks:

 
01- Quirpa (Folklore) 2:55
02- Quitapesares con San Rafael (Folklore) 3:32
03- Gabán, Chipola y Pajarillo (Folklore) 10:53
04- Las Espigas (Simón Díaz) 3:07
05- Amalia (Joaquin Arias) 2:40
06- El Trapiche (Emilio Murillo) 4:22
07- Revuelta Tuyera (Folklore) 8:42
08- El Sr. Jou (Pablo Camacaro) 3:50
09- El Avispero (Alberto "Beto" Valderrama) 3:02
10- Seis por Derecho (Folklore) 4:19
11- Zumba que Zumba con Periquera (Folklore) 3:42
12- Palo Negro (Anónimo) 2:55

Musicians:

Piano: Claudia Calderón
Cuatro: Cheo Hurtado (tracks 01, 02, 03, 04, 09, 10, 11, 12)
Tiple & Cuatro: Rafael Brito (tracks 03, 05, 06, 08)
Acoustic Bass: David Peña
Maracas: Ernesto Laya
Oboe: Jaime Martínez (track 04)

  

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A New Vision of the Traditional Joropo Music 
from Venezuela and Colombia 

  

After years of research into the roots of Colombian and Venezuelan Music, pianist Claudia Calderón has produced a collection of the best pieces of traditional harp and bandola folklore from los Llanos, the great plains of the Orinoco Basin and the Valley of the Tuy River. This music, traditionally known as "Joropo", combined with other genres from the Colombian Andes, creates an exquisite piano repertoire, revealing an unexpectedly high degree of musical discourse. This repertoire of  brilliant pieces is full of delightful hints of Spanish Baroque harpsichord music, set in the most powerful rhythmic context. Claudia Calderón has carefully transcribed the original Andean and llanero pieces for her instrument and her ensemble, seeking the highest musical fidelity to achieve a perfect rendering of these fascinating sources of unique world music onstage, worldwide.

The Chamber Music combination of piano and traditional Colombian and Venezuelan instruments is a breakthrough, bringing the sounds from los Llanos, the great plains and mountains north of the Amazon Basin to a universal concert format. This show, in which Claudia Calderón and her amazing guests make us discover a variety of music, is also a strong cultural statement. By combining the familiar voices of Piano and Double Bass with the surprisingly colorful performance of the Maracas, the Venezuelan Cuatro (small four-stringed guitar) and the Colombian Tiple (metal twelve-stringed guitar), the group reveals the profound musical and cultural universe spanning from the the Eastern tip of the Venezuelan Coast to the Southernmost parts of the colossal Colombian Andes; a great geographical arc which is full of musical surprises for world audiences.

The Andean ingredient gives an appropriate stylistic complement to the fiery music of  the Llanos, introducing the fresh and relaxing sounds of the mountain guitar, the tiple, gently strumming the delicate forms of  Colombian melodies. It is the realm of Bambuco, Pasillo, Joropo and Vals; an ancient musical tradition shared by Colombia and Venezuela. Piano Llanero brings these powerful forces together, and helps us enjoy a clear and authentic show of these relatively unknown but incredibly expressive families of Latin American music.

    

   

Colombian pianist and composer Claudia Calderón based in Venezuela since 1987, was born in Palmira, Colombia. She specialized in performing music from Venezuelan and Colombian traditional sources, as well as classical, romantic and contemporary piano repertoire, often playing her own compositions. After studying in her native Cali and Bogotá, she graduated 1987 in Piano Performing under Professor David Wilde at the Musikhochschule in Hannover, Germany. She also studied composition under Professor Diether De La Motte and attended courses in Italy under pianist György Sandor, a disciple of Béla Bartók.

Claudia Calderón has been Chamber Music Faculty at the Simón Bolívar Conservatory and at the Instituto Universitario de Estudios Musicales, IUDEM, in Caracas. She has also passionately studied the Joropo music from the plains and the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia and developed musicological research in traditional llanero harp at the FUNDEF Institute in Caracas, publishing several papers on the specific subject of  Venezuelan harp music in Venezuela and France.

She has produced the first complete and exact set of transcriptions of Joropo music from different historic ethnomusicological recordings, setting a new standard in the studies of this relatively unknown genre, giving also lectures at the Historical Harp Society at the University of Amherst, Massachussetts, USA and at the Mainz Universität in Germany.

Mrs. Calderón has toured extensively in solo and chamber music formations in Colombia, Venezuela, Uruguay, England, France, Germany, South Africa, USA and Mexico. Calderón's own works include solo piano pieces, chamber and symphonic music and have been performed and recorded in Venezuela, Colombia, England and Mexico.

In 1999 she created the Fundación Editorial Arpamérica, an institution for the purpose of researching, rescuing and promoting harp and bandola music through educational publications and new compositions. She has developed an entirely new repertoire for the piano, based on the sources of the harp and mandolin music, which she has recorded in the CD "El Piano Llanero", with the traditional ccompaniment of cuatro, tiple, double bass and maracas, released in 2002 in Caracas. The Banco de la República in Bogotá, Colombia, recently published a CD with the Piano Solo Works by Colombian composer Pedro Morales Pino she recorded in 2004.

Her new CD "El Piano Llanero II" will soon be released in Caracas.(November 2007) In 2004, she was awarded an artistic residence at the G-3 program (México-Colombia-Venezuela), where she created a composition for piano and small orchestra that has not yet been premiered.
  

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"Hoy canta alegre el Llanero
cabalgando sin cesar
a la luz de los luceros
en sueños sin despertar..."

  

♥